The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING

Materials for drawer-work

Drawer fronts can be solid wood, which is preferable, or laminboard or ply, for both can be lap dovetailed if care is taken; particle board is unsuitable. Drawer sides should be in hard good-wearing wood, with Oak the favourite, but teak and prime quality mahogany are good and agba a fair substitute if a pale wood is necessary. Soft hardwoods such as obeche, etc. should not be used, while common pine wears quickly (unless it is very resinous) as old examples show. Backs are usually 1/4 in (6 mm) or 5/16 in (8 mm) thick and can be in any common timber, although here again oak is used in the best work. Solid bottoms can be in English cedar or oak about 5/16 in (8 mm) thick and mulleted into the grooves as in 238:14, but 5/32 in (4 mm) good-quality plywood, preferably limba, oak, gaboon or birch, is usual. The grain of solid bottoms must, of course, run from side to side or shrinkage will pull them out of the side grooves; they can be glued to the front groove

and should override the back by about 1/4 in (6 mm) to which they are open slot screwed. The grain of plywood bottoms can run either way, but custom and usage usually dictates from side to side. Wide drawers may need thicker plywood, but it is more usual to support the bottom with a centre muntin about 2 in (50 mm) wide by 5/8 in (16 mm) thick, lap dovetailed at the front and rabbeted and screwed to the back (238:16).